Whittaker Makes the Mark; Romero Does Not

Grant SmithJun 10, 2018

Romero also failed to meet the 185-pound requirement in February for an interim middleweight title fight against Luke Rockhold at UFC 221.

Robert Whittaker is prepared to go to the depths of exhaustion to overcome Yoel Romero once more and stamp his authority on the UFC middleweight championship.

It's the second consecutive bout for which Romero (13-2) has missed weight.

Romero initially came in at 186lbs and was given an additional hour to get down to 185lbs for the much-anticipated rematch but he could only get as low as 185.2lbs, meaning he was ineligible to fight for the title.

Regardless of the minor amount of weight, or what really happened backstage between the Illinois Athletic Commission, Romero, his team and the UFC, this is inexcusable. Romero won via third round knockout. Yes, he is older now, but he's an experienced athlete when it comes to cutting weight. I didn't want to wrestle for like 5 years and the trial is behind me.

Whittaker said his family helped him get through the rough 11 months.

Now fully healthy, Whittaker will be aiming to lift his professional MMA record to 20-4 with a second straight victory over Romero, the No. 1 contender in the UFC middleweight division.

"I can't disrespect him in that regard even for a second and look past him otherwise I'll lose in that instant".

With UFC president Dana White taking a tough-love approach as of late, it could be to the back of the list for Romero no matter what.

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